The Tea Plantation
by Ling1
Summary: It was the era between 1950s-60s. The aftermath of World War II is taking place. A homeless Japanese scholar's daughter, and a Chinese peasant tea-maker. Will love blossom between the two? At what stake?
1. The Mysterious Girl

**~Ling:** Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiii!! I finally did it! This is my first fic ever, and I hope to get some feedback from you ^_^ This is a **completely** AU fic, meaning Alternate Universe, and our dear Clow's creations won't appear at all. (Kero-chan: How COULD YOU!???) Gomen, gomen. But it cannot fit into the storyline, as much as I want it to. This story will take place somewhere around the 1940s-50s, the aftermath of World War 2. If you see *****s, scroll to the bottom for explanations. 

**Disclaimer:** Me don't own, You don't sue.

**Key:**  
**bold** - emphasis  
_italics_ - thoughts  
'words in apostrophes' - important / informal phrases  
"words in double apostrophes" - talking  
________________________ - change in scene / timeframe  
**>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>** - Flashbacks

The Tea Plantation  
1. The Mysterious Girl 

She was running away, into the deep of the night. The ghastly sounds of nocturnal creatures echoed around her, sending cold thrills enveloping her whole being. She clutched the piece of jade tightly, running blindly in the darkness, trying not to crash into any trees. She could hear the terrifying noises of the troops closing in upon her. A dog's bark was heard. A few shouts. And the scampering of feet towards her direction. She shivered with cold and shook with fear. She kept on running, until the vegetation finally cleared, and she found herself on a cliff, overlooking the seas. The waves were rushing against the cliff walls, the dark waters below her seemingly menacing and intimidating. She was cornered. They had arrived. The torches of fire illuminated their facial features, crooked, ugly faces, craving for power, greedy for wealth, lusting after undesirable materialism. They circled her, eyes boring into her frail soul. She was frightened. They knew it. And it was exactly what they wanted.

"There's no way for you to run, Ojou-san. Come with us." An odd, husky voice whispered into her ear. The voice roared with evil cackle. And the rest followed suit. Their laughter rang high into the night, as she contemplated her fate. There was no way out. Except one. She made a run towards the edge, and jumped. Behind her the voices bellowed and cursed, but she cared no more as she crashed into the water surface, breath caught in her throat and painfully suffocating. She struggled to stay afloat, but her whole being ached from the impact, and an excruciating pain by her side told her she was in fact, not fine. She soon lost her strength to struggle as the waves swayed her back and forth, and finally engulfed her in a huge oscillation of deep, murky sea water. She knew no more, and cared no more, of the troops shouting away at the edge of the cliff.

________________________

She felt drowsy and cold. Some kind of chilly air seems to be brushing against her whole being. She forced her eyes open and blinked unbelievingly as she looked around. She seemed to be in a dilapidated hut, walls built of thin planks of wood and the room seemingly bare except for the upraised platform of wood she was lying on, which she presumed was a bed, and a small table in the middle of the room, with a small, extinguished candle on top of it. The walls were bare except for a scenery painting of the seaside, done roughly on some cotton cloth, and the only source of light was the small hole on the wall beside her, the moonlight rays streaming in through it and illuminating the room, barely enough for her to made all her observations without getting up from the "bed". She tried to move, but let out a sharp cry of woe as she felt the pain was still there, and more excruciating than ever. So she was still alive, she realised. 

A melody echoed softly in the air, then she noticed the figure of an old woman sitting by the door, her face wrinkled with thought, eyes twinkling with amusement, yet her frayed white hair and her kindly features clearly stating the aged old woman was no threat, if not, a saviour.

"You saved me?" The emerald-eyed girl asked, her chestnut brown hair sweeping across her delicate face as the sea breeze blew into the room. The woman was startled by her sudden voice and moved to her side to look at her, tucking her displaced hair behind her ears. The elder person seemed to observe her facial features, probably thinking about her plight, Kinomoto Sakura thought. Seeing no response from her saviour, she whispered another question.

"Where am I?" This time, the woman smiled, rather sadly nevertheless, and shook her head, signifying her dilemma. That was when Sakura realised, she was no longer anywhere near Japan. She was somewhere else. A place where they knew not of the Japanese language. It was then her turn to observe the elder woman's attire. _China_. 

Being a renowned scholar's daughter, Kinomoto Sakura was eloquent in a dozen many other languages, and Chinese, was not exactly a problem for her. She repeated her first two questions in Chinese, as the woman looked on in surprise.

"I found you by the seaside, and my son is going to the nearest village right now to find a physician for you." The woman, whom Sakura soon knew to be Pan-ma*****, answered. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Sa-," she was about to say her name, when a nagging thought at the back of her mind stopped her, "Ying-fa, but you can call me Ying-ying." She said instead. She remembered what her father had said about the war between China and Japan, which had happened during her earlier years of childhood, and had claimed the life of her mother. She knew of the Chinese' resentment and hatred towards the Japanese people, and she wisely provided herself an alias. After all, Ying-fa also means Sakura, so why not?

"Ma, I've brought Chen-taifu***** here." A slight hustle of feet and the sound of a slightly worried masculine voice disrupted her thoughts, and she found herself face-to-face with a charming young man, dark blue hair framing his kind face, and deep sapphire eyes full of concern, switching his attention between her and the physician from time to time, as she allowed the physician to read her pulse.

________________________

She rubbed her eyes sleepily and registered her surroundings as the hut by the seaside. She vaguely remembered the physician's visit and being asked to drink a bowl of bitter medicine afterwards, and soon after she fell asleep. She looked about, and no one was in the hut. She heard noises outside and wobbled her way to the door. The loud commotion was between the dark-haired young man, and a fierce-looking, bearded old man, enragedly pointing a wooden stick at the young man, and ending the argument in chokes of anger. "Y-you... j-just..m-make..s-ss-sure..s-she's...o-out...of...h-he-here...b-by...s-sunset!"

Sakura's face filled with remorse and she was about to step forward to apologise and help the young man, when Pan-ma noticed her and held her back, clutching her hands tightly, afraid she would do something wrong on impulse. She placed a finger over her own mouth and signalled for Sakura to keep quiet. The old man staggered back to another larger, more impressive hut, in fact, the most grand-looking one amongst the rest, helped by two other middle-aged man, the three of them giving Pan-ma and his son disapproving glances before going into the hut. The crowd soon dissipated and the young man turned his attention back to Sakura.

He motioned for her to go inside the hut, and the three of them went inside, Pan-ma helping the still injured Sakura.

________________________

"You've heard?" He asked her, the two of them sitting across each other on either side of the small wooden table, Pan-ma having excused herself to dry the fishes. Sakura stared into the young man's eyes, those deep alluring eyes, letting herself drown in their beauty. Never before had she met someone with such charm, such understanding, knowledgeable features. She felt heat creeping up her cheeks when she heard him clear his throat pointedly, and she was embarrassed at her open show of affection.

Sheepishly trying to salvage the awkward silence, she heard herself squeak, "Yes.. it seems they don't welcome my presence here." Her eyes were looking down, noticing the many scratches and lines slashed across the wooden table. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes anymore. The embarrassment was enough to last for weeks.

She sensed him move to her side and kneel beside her. Suddenly she felt a warm, callused hand reach under her chin and bring up her face, and she once again found herself staring right into those eyes. A minute or so passed, and the young man hustled noisily back to his seat, and started the conversation amiably, the common sense of attraction between the both of them having kept under control and locked away deep in the bottom of their secret hearts.

"... so I will take you back to the Xiang Cha Chun***** where Chen-taifu is living and you can recuperate safely there." He ended, looking at her for any sign of understanding, but instead found a mixture of confusion and fear evident on her angelic features. She, in fact, was not really paying attention to what he was saying, but thinking about her homeland, and the circumstances which had caused her to be there, at that very moment. She only caught phrases of "sea breeze" being "not good" and "expenses settled" and such. She was suddenly aware of the pair of eyes focusing on her, and she noticed he had stopped speaking, and was looking expectantly at her, waiting for her answer. What exactly did he say? Something about sending her away? She felt the familiar sense of overwhelming terror and bewilderment engulfing her soul. 

Then, she noticed him reaching his hand across the table to squeeze hers assuringly, and saying, "I'll stay with you till you're better." That phrase brought back the sunshine onto her facial features and she was smiling radiantly. Suddenly, the flash of bewilderment came about again, and she realised she knew absolutely nothing of the "plan" which she had only heard subconsciously about, and even lesser about the young man who was going to "bring her there".

Unbeknownst to them, Pan-ma was watching their every move from behind the curtain that separated the backyard from the inner hut. She smiled wanly, thinking there would be a match between those two one day, even though she was rather baffled, and not to say, worried, about this mysterious girl's past. She was definitely not a local, yet she speaks their language with such fluency. She could not help but fear for the safety of her son, and for the sake of his future.

Back in the inner hut, Sakura found herself curious about the young man who sat across her, and she felt her mind overwhelmed by all the questions that had suddenly sprang up. She blurted the one and only thing she could think of, before even organising her thoughts properly, "Who are you?"

The young man was rather taken aback by Sakura's sudden question, then he realised after all's been said and done, he had never properly introduced himself to her. He felt a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth, and he whispered, "I'm Li Yong*****, call me A Yong. I'm a fisherman now." 

Sakura was surprised. This man, who spoke with such dignity, such compassion, and such sophistication, had such a plain and nevertheless, inappropriate name. She was expecting a rather grand-ish name, but she reminded herself she was on the outskirts of China now, by the seaside, and her companion was but a fisherman. After all, which fishermen had elaborate names? That would be ridiculous. Little did she know, how near she was to guessing the truth. 'Li Yong' was no fishermen. At least he wasn't, in the past. But that, was left to be discovered in later days, when the desperate times called for desperate measures. 

As he had guessed nevertheless, Li Yong found out Sakura, or Ying-ying, as she was known to him, had little idea about what he was talking about. He thought he was talking in too difficult words. So he repeated his explanation again, in laymen's terms. 

Sakura listened intently, after having missed almost all of his words the first time round. She felt rather guilty for troubling him so, but she was determined to know what was happening around her, and what she was supposed to do about them. She soon realised that the three men were in fact Yu Jia Chun*****'s elders, who were in charge if taking care of the place. It turned out that Chen-taifu was one of the best physicians around the area, and the elders were the ones who helped to pay him. However, it turned out Sakura's health was slowly deteriorating and the cool sea breeze was not good for her condition. Therefore she was suggested to go to Xiang Cha Chun, where Chen-taifu had a medical hall and could tend to her better. And all the expenses were too heavy for Li Yong and Pan-ma to bear, therefore Li Yong was forced to sell himself as a steward to the Elder's Hut to work there as long as he live, and that was how she would be able to get well. The elders had many doubts about her life and her sudden presence, so she was not allowed to stay in Yu Jia Chun any longer, and from then on, she had been present and had known about the rest of their argument.

Sakura's eyes were misty with tears as she heard Li Yong tell his story. She was touched that he would make such a great sacrifice for her. She knew that selling his service to the elders also meant giving up his freedom and narrowing his path for a better future. She did not know what else to say. And she embraced him in a tight hug, thanking him profusely, before drawing back immediately as Pan-ma entered the room. As much as she approved of the coupling, she knew things couldn't go too far. After all, in those days, it was already shameful enough for an unmarried young man and woman to stay in the same room together.

To be continued....

________________________

**~Ling:**Ne, what do you think? Please, please, please, please review? If not I really don't know if I should go on. And now, for explanations (all the *****s):

**1. Pan-ma:** Now here, it means that Pan is her surname, and -ma suffix is like -san but for elderly women. It depends, because Chinese language is rather complex. Ma itself is mother, but with when its -ma it's like a polite form of calling.  
**2. Chen-taifu:** Now, here of course it means Chen is his surname, but taifu means physician. And literally translated it should be 'Physician Chen', but it doesn't sound as fitting as Chen-taifu, because it's set in olden day China, I feel it's better this way.  
**3. Xiang Cha Chun:** This, is a name I've made up for a village. Always, Chun means village (at least it is in this fic). In Chinese, different intonations can mean different things. If read another way, Chun can also mean Spring. Now, the Xiang is fragrant, and Cha is tea. So, literally, I made the village name mean 'Fragrant Tea Village'. *hint* compare with title? *  
**4. Li Yong:** Now, make a guess who this is? You'll never believe it. It's Eriol-kun!! Now, I'm not sure how to make it sound Chinese-ish, so 'Riol' sounds _almost_ like Li Yong, so the name stays. But then, you'll see why it's like this! And noooooooooooooooooooooo! This is NOT E+S. At least I don't intend it to be. We'll see.   
**5. Yu Jia Chun:** Again, Chun = village, Yu = fish, Jia = I didn't exactly think of the meaning, it just sounds nice together.

So NOW! After all that explanations, I hope you can understand better, and OH! Tell me what you think, onegai. Suggestions also **deeply appreciated** at autumn_rain12@hotmail.com 


	2. The Next Day ...

**~Ling**: Yesh, this is the same fic, but I've recently just changed my nick. Hopefully you'll enjoy this next installment, the 'heavily revised' Chapter 2. Umm... another point to note, is that this fic is _based_ loosely around the timeline of World War 2, please DO NOT take anything you're read here too seriously, any resemblance to real life is purely coincidental. 

**Dedications:** Everyone who has read and reviewed this fic before ^^   
Mei-Fong, LiLxKawaiixAzN, syrupjunkie, Wings of Fire, Syaoran's Blossom, gwkitty, Nakuru The Butterfly Princess, Lpbunnie, kEro-kIro-chan, Mei-Hua, Killiko Jun, rinny, KayJuli...

**Disclaimer:** If I actually own CCS, I won't be writing a **fan**fiction

**Key:**  
**bold** - emphasis  
_italics_ - thoughts  
'words in apostrophes' - important / informal phrases  
"words in double apostrophes" - talking  
________________________ - change in scene / timeframe  
**>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>** - Flashbacks

**The Last Time:** Li Yong and Sakura were having a conversation, but when they get too close for comfort, Pan-ma interrupts... the next day....

The Tea Plantation  
2. The Next Day... 

Sakura awoke to the blinding rays of the sunlight streaming into the little hut. The clings and clangs of cutlery in the kitchen told her that Pan-ma had risen early and was already at work. She vaguely recalled the events of the previous night before Pan-ma interrupted their discussion... She felt a small blush creep up her cheeks as she thought of the warm, assuring hand that held hers yesterday. She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind. _ I shouldn't be thinking these thoughts. After all, we only knew each other for one day. ONE DAY! Wake up, Sakura!! This is not a fairytale! There IS no such thing as love as first sight!_

"I see you're up," Pan-ma whispered softly as she walked in, carrying a tray of delicious-looking food. Sakura jerked her head up to find calm grey eyes staring into her emerald ones. They seem to hold some sort of mysterious accusation about previous night's events... She wondered if Pan-ma actually saw their exchange of words, and even more dangerous, their embrace. She knew how conservative people were around that area. Back in her homeland, it was also the same... A young unmarried woman should never, ever have any contact with a young unmarried man, unless they have some, *erhm* special relationship, of course. It was etiquette. And she did not want to appear etiquette-less. 

She willed herself to get up and greet the elderly woman. Yet, she felt her form ache all over, and her head felt heavy. Pan-ma, evidently seeing her distress, brought the tray of food to the bedside to feed her. She smiled kindly and offered Sakura a bun. Sakura, obviously not knowing what to say or do, nodded dumbly and started nibbling on the snow-white bun filled with meaty fillings. [Ling: did that make sense?] 

"Ying-ying, there is something I need to discuss with you about...." Pan-ma started speaking and tried to clear the awkward air between them.

Sakura froze, and her half-nibbled bun fell with a soft, yet recognisable thud onto the floor. Her eyes were overwhelming with terror. She tried to open her mouth to speak, yet no coherent words came through. She felt horrified at the possibilities of what Pan-ma is going to tell her. Evidently, she must have at some point or other saw their exchange, otherwise... what else had she to tell her?

"My son, he's but a fisherman... he's stubborn and all... I really don't know what those village girls see in him... but you're different, Ying-ying. I know you see my son differently. And...... I just want to tell you that I don't mind the both of you being together, even though your past is doubtful and tongues will wag, I know you have a kind heart and that is all that counts." Pan-ma said slowly, as Sakura allowed her words to sink in and register themselves into her mind. She felt the colour came back to her ghastly pale face and smiled happily.

"Thank you for trusting me, Pan-ma. But, you're mistaken... your son and I, we..." Sakura never had the chance to finish her sentence as the tall, broad figure of Li Yong appear in the doorway. 

"Shush. Keep what we've said to ourselves. It's time for the both of you to set off." Pan-ma said, winking pointedly at Sakura to keep silent. 

________________________

The road ahead looks dark, literally, for Sakura and her ever-caring companion, Li Yong. It had been hours since they left the peaceful fishing village of Yu Jia Chun and set off on their tedious journey inland, heading towards Xiang Cha Chun. They had halted in front of the earthy path leading into a dense forest. The tall, broad trunks of the trees loomed up above them, and the only source of light was the faint rays of sunlight shining through the canopy of leaves.

Sakura felt herself shudder instinctively. She felt the urge to just turn back and run. The ominous darkness of the greenery reminded of a scene long forgotten, yet too painful to forget. That night she ran away. The vegetation. Those thugs....

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she felt her companion examining her closing, waiting for her to move on. She cast an apologetic look and bravely stepped forward, following his lead. "So, what were you thinking about back there?" Li Yong cautiously asked, hoping he was not probing too much into her personal affairs.

"My family..." She answered curtly. It hurt her to bring it up again... but somehow she felt he could be trusted...

".... we..we.. my father.. he.. he was.. a scholar.. and.. that.. night.. ... ran.. vegetation... jumped to sea..... those thugs...." Her voice was choked with tears.

"It's okay, you don't need to tell me if you don't want to," came the calm, assuring voice beside her. She felt him squeeze her hands. _Just like that night... when I first came... He makes me feel so secure and warm all inside... But.. why?? What is this strange sensation?_

They continued walking further up, Li Yong still leading her by her hand. Then, suddenly, they heard noises in front. 

________________________

A bloodbath greeted them in a small open space in the middle of the forest. Sticky maroon liquid was splattered all over the brownish soil, the leaves of plants around also stained with the trickling dark red liquid. Three lifeless bodies lay sprawled across the ground, blood oozing out of their slashed wounds.

Sakura felt Li Yong's hand quickly covering her eyes, yet it was too late. She had seen the horrible sight, one that proved to soon leave such a deep impression that it remains etched in her mind forever. She slumped onto the ground, tears welling over her emerald eyes. It was too much. Everything they encountered that day reminded her of her family's fate. Her frail, limp figure trembled ever so slightly, her inner turmoil of misery and terror penetrating Li Yong's sympathetic senses. 

Though quivering in fear, she approached the bodies reluctantly, checking if all of them are really dead. If not... maybe she could save them... maybe.

Her hopes were dashed when she found that all three were truly dead. She felt her heart ache in a dull, throbbing sound. She abhorred all kinds of violence, especially one that gets people killed. 

Behind her, Li Yong watched her moves intently. He felt a strong sense of kinship to this lost young girl, the pain of family members lost also throbbing painfully in the deepest crevasses of his heart. _ No, I must not think of it anymore. The past is past. I must learn to let it go._

Then, suddenly, shuffling of feet towards their direction interrupted the dreary atmosphere that hung thick in the air. Li Yong grabbed hold of Sakura and the both of them ducked under a patch of green bushes. He held his hand tightly clamped over her mouth, signaling with his free hand to keep quiet. They both kept as still as possible, barely daring to breathe, for fear of getting caught. As if on cue, a throng of soldiers broke in a steady march into the area, enclosing the battleground, bayonets in hand, eyes set in determined attention, as through the line of dark-green uniformed troops, emerged a moustached sinister-looking man, clad in tight blue military clothing, three stripes of dark blue proudly sitting on his shoulder. 

His facial expression broke into a sadistic grin, a slight cackle of laughter escaping his thin lips. He looked upon the three deceased with disgust, examining their faces, as if mentally checking off the 'to-be-killed' list in his head. He clapped in a satisfactory smug smile, his troops attentively awaiting his orders. 

"Men, bury these bodies. No, better yet, throw them into the nearby river. That should get rid of them faster." As his subordinates scurry around the sight in a hurry to dispose of the bodies, Sakura and Li Yong was close enough to hear him cogitating. "I didn't expect **them** to act this fast. Good riddance. Now that these meddlesome people are out of the way, it's time to move on. Xiang Cha Chun, here I come." He ended off his spoken-aloud thoughts abruptly, chuckling in maniacal glee. Little that he knows, the two stunned figures hiding under the camouflaging shadows of the leaves had heard his words.

Yet, before we readers rejoice at this, perhaps, it was not meant to be so. Sakura felt an acutely familiar sensation tickling her. A sneeze is erupting. She tried hard to keep it in, yet, instead, it made her choke for air. She gave a loud, distinctively disturbing "A-choo!", despite the fact that Li Yong was still trying hard to clamp her mouth shut. Evidently, it was **too** loud to be missed. **Much** too loud. Sakura buried herself in Li Yong's arms as she looked away in fearful anticipation of what was to come.

Sure enough, a loud, huskily cracking voice boomed, "Who's there??", in an authoratative volume. There was another scurry of feet rushing towards their hiding place. A single thought crossed both their minds at the same time. _We're doomed for sure....._

To be continued....

________________________

**~Ling:** Yesh! I'm finally done with this Chapter. I kept on adding things and revising this Chapter, and now the outcome is **completely** different with what the first draft was. Much shorter than the first chapter, I know, but I'm currently lacking inspirations. My descriptive side is taking a looooooong rest. And now, I shall stop babbling.

Ah! There are no special asterisks in this chapter, since I refrain from using too much Chinese-y words. Don't worry, most of them will mainly just be suffixes for names. And so, please leave me a comment? Previous Chapter 2 (first draft) reviews are still there, even though I deleted that chapter... so signed reviewers might not be able to review again? I'm not sure... I hope I'm not causing too much confusion for anyone, but you are more than welcome to email me at autumn_rain12@hotmail.com for anything. Arigato Gozaimasu.

R.E.V.I.E.W. P.L.E.A.S.E! 


	3. The World She Left Behind

**~Ling**: Waaa!!!!! FINALLY!!!! I finished this new chappie!!!! Gomen Nasai, I've got stranded with homework, school and plummeting grades. Now that Mid-year Exams are over, I can focus on finishing this story!! And another reason why I didn't put this out earlier is, the story always seem to bend out of the plotline... so I had to revise it many times.. -_-;; And so... enjoy~! Oh, this chapter is rather long, I hope. 

**Disclaimer:** CCS = Clamp's. 

**Key:**  
**bold** or _underscored_ - emphasis  
_italics_ - thoughts or flashbacks  
'words in apostrophes' - important / informal phrases  
"words in double apostrophes" - talking  
________________________ - change in scene / timeframe / point of view / separates two different subjects...etc you know what I mean! ;)  


**The Last Time:** Li Yong and Sakura were on their way to Xiang Cha Chun, enroute they came across a bloodshed and some corrupt officers. What happens next? ARE they going to be found out???

The Tea Plantation  
3. The World She Left Behind 

Sakura felt herself recoiling away from the bushes, away from the sound of the arriving footsteps, shutting out all the purling noises around her, the rustling of leaves slowly fading away, the lustrous green leaves enveloping her quivering frame giving way to a mass of dark, eternal abyss of horror. Not again. No. The susurrant noises of yesterdays came to her again. She was reliving the moment of horror again.

_"Otou-san!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The auburn-haired girl's shrilled cry rose into the air. The sweet goodies in her hands, the small, clear plastic bag, a small blissful golden creature swimming in it, went dripping to the ground. Smash. The water flowed out. Drip. Drip. Drip. Overwhelming terror gripped her heart, her delicate features twisted in a white facade of heartsinking affright._

After all she tried to do to escape death, it always catches up with her again, seemingly unable to succumb to the fact she was still alive. Death wanted her in the afterlife. The world seemingly could not bear to see her alive. These resentful thoughts echoed in her aching mind endlessly, bitterly, eating her heart out. Perhaps this was fate after all. 

"Go!" Came the commanding, boisterous voice.

Sakura felt Li Yong motioning her to move backwards, little by little, she lifted her feet softly, afraid to cause anymore noise. The leaves made a miniscule settling noise, and she realised there was no more room for her to move back to. They were back-to-back to a sturdy trunk of a large wooden tree.

The intimidating point of a sharp long, killing blade made its way through their thinning shield of leaves. Swisssssh. Swooooosh. Swisssssssssssssh.

As the two hide-aways braced themselves for the last strike, a deep, coughing sound broke the deafening barrier of intense anxiousness and worry. It originated... a few metres away from their hiding place. 

_What? What's happening? There's someone else hiding besides us?_ Sakura looked to her companion, only to find his cobalt blue eyes fixed in a similar distressed, yet relieved expression.

Once she encountered her scattered wits, she forced herself to look through the thickened web of leaves again, barely able to watch the clips of an ongoing drama of suspense. What now, her heart whispered anxiously.

Up above, the birds seem to chirp merrily again, after a momentary interlude of silence. The world had seemed to freeze in the captivating, wispy-like clutches of time, the moment they heard the officer holler out the two earth-shattering words. (A/n: Remember last chapter... those two words "Who's there!?" ^^;;)

________________________

A sheepish-looking rugged elderly man appeared, hands put up in a 'surrender' poise, grinning to the world ahead. _A beggar???_

The seedy, bare-footed commoner watched the rows of sturdy-looking men intensely, an invisible fire burning in his eyes, barely noticeable to all but the jaded eyes of the girl who was trembling like an aspen leaf behind the shady camouflage of the bracken flora. His demeanor was carefree and casual. The patched clothing which barely covered his woody-brown tanned skin and the worn-out hat that barely covered his silverish-grey hair did not seem to bother him.

The rows of soldiers hardened their gaze, bayonets held in a standby poise, ready to fire. Sounds of their barrels being filled scared Sakura. _Not another innocent life.... no.... don't!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

Surprisingly, the officer held his palm out, halting the fusillade. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, eyes condescending, a look so much similar to that that he had given to the men he had so mercilessly disposed of. 

"Who are you, old man!!!!!! What ARE you doing here? WE officers are doing serious legal work here. NOW SCRAM!!!!!" He bellowed, as the aforementioned person nonchalantly picked up a basket full of funky-coloured leaves and left the scene, whistling in blissful ignorance, as if nothing had happened at all. 

Before he completely disappeared out of sight, his eyes scanned the area one more time, and as his gaze found itself onto the bushes Sakura was hiding in, Sakura felt his deep glare penetrating her soul, as if saying 'I know you're there'.

Those orbs of greyish hues, highlighted by sparks of amusing, twinkling white rays, imprinted itself onto her mind. Little did they know, Fate never did make 'chance' encounters. She was soon to find the old man a worthy comrade and help in affairs of the state. 

________________________

"Finish cleaning up this dump and report back to base at 4.00 SHARP! We have to get moving!" The blue-clothed officer commanded his subordinates, who all saluted him, and chorused with a respectful "Yes, Sir!".

"But, Xu-sir, why did you let that old man go? We have killed before, and it won't hurt to kill one more. We'll just dispose of them nice and clean." A young officer, whose young sternly face mirrored that of the officer-in-charge, now known to them as Xu-sir, asked him quietly. He must be that old guy's right-hand man, Sakura contemplated to herself, noticing Li Yong deep in thought himself. 

"Oh, I'm afraid I did to many sins, Chong. Let's just say I'm trying to repay my sins. Besides, that old beggar probably won't live long. He looks like he's going to arrive on Death's Gate soon." He replied in mock tone.

The two figures in concealed within the shadows of the leaves did not utter a single word. Now they know Xiang Cha Chun is in grave danger, eyed by a corrupt officer and his unmerciful troops. Xu-sir, Chong and the dark-green uniformed soldiers. Sakura realised what a turn her life is making now. 

But all in all, one thing hasn't changed. She still gets involved with officers, the state, and the like. How she wished for a normal, straight, peaceful lifestyle, away from all these hustle-bustle, people dragging themselves down to their own graves, blinded by materialism.

No such thing as honour exists nowadays. Not in her eyes. Everything that had happened in her life so far had convinced so. Her father tried to stand up for the commoners. And what happened to him? Buried ten feet under in a land millions of kilometres away from her current disposition. How ironic. 

________________________

Li Yong slowly, gently prodded the sleeping form beside him. The blue sky scattered with strips of fleecy white clouds has now shifted lightly into an arch of light, merry dancers of red, purple, and orange origin littered themselves across the pastely heavens. The scorching glowing flame of the day had since begun to travel deeper down, across the stretch of valleys in the distance. 

The night is going to settle in, anytime now. The cold autumn winds tickled his senses, as he realised the night would be freezing, not to mention, eerie, in this deep forest. Either way, a clearing it was, a convenient source of water nearby. He was sure a nice, warm bonfire would do them good. He shuffled and rubbed his hands vigorously, breathing into them to blow away the numbness that had begun to form. 

Had he been travelling alone, he would have fast-paced himself to the nearest small village 300 li from here. But he was not, and he could not bear to awaken his tired companion. After all, she was but a young girl, unaccustomed to the harsh conditions of the wild outside world, how could he bear to let her suffer so much? She must have been a protected, doted-on child, he thought silently. He could not ever forget those innocent eyes crying out for help, during their first encounter.

After all, reaching Xiang Cha Chun earlier would mean an earlier parting. Needless to say, after being alone with her for a few days now, he could not help but feel more and more attracted to the lost young girl, whether the feeling was platonic or not, and whether mutual or not, he had yet to figure out. 

He had noticed how she recoiled at the thought of the dark forest, how she cried out heart-wrenching tears at the sight of deceased people, how she shivered instinctively at the thought of nearing death, how she had tried to brave herself. 

She had, evidently, left a large impression in his mind. Seeing her hurt would trigger similar emotions, overriding his own senses. He had thought he had locked away his past, deep within his heart. 

Yet, her emotions, feelings, reactions, were so similar to that of the young Li Yong, crying over the loss of his family. Those emotions were beginning to surface once more. Emotional scars stand the test of time. They don't heal completely, no matter what people say. 

He knew this best.

For the past few years, he had delusioned himself into believing he was healed. He believed he could love again, and that he could start a new life, in a new land. And when a kindly old woman took him in, he was more than glad to stay. Yet his mind opened him up to more doubts now.

An incomprehendable part of him wanted so much to hug the awakening form in front of him, to comfort her, to ask her to pour her heart to him. Yet he knew she must learn to heal on her own. She would tell him when she wanted too, he believed in that fact. Just as he had treated her as a person like family, a person he held close to his heart, he knew she, too, considered him family. 

Jerking himself back to reality, he wondered why he let his thoughts wander like that. It had been a long time since he could 'connect' so much to a person, he realised. The realisation brought him new hopes for the near future.... but then, he remembered his previous train of thoughts. 

Reaching Xiang Cha Chun this soon, would also mean another thing. The risk of meeting up with Xu and his troops again. Silently, he wondered what plans they had in store for the unknowing villagers. More than a few hours ago, the troops had left the area, and it took him just enough of that little strength he had left to drag the two of them out of the suffocating hiding place. 

His glance fixed on the yawning lady in front of him. Through some touch of the nature's evening glow, she looked mesmerising. Those emerald eyes popped open, only to find themselves drowning within the pools of sapphire mass... _again_. 

"Yong-ge*****..." He blinked unceremoniously at hearing his name, at the affectionate suffix she had given him. She smiled softly. "They're gone, aren't they?" Her voice barely audible, as the nocturnal creatures of the night made their own adequate amount of noise, almost drowning her sweet, melancholic words. But he heard them.

"It's okay to call you that, right? You're just like my onii-san. He's gone now, but he would always be watching me up there." Her hand pointed to a bright twinkling star in the sky. 

"Um.. I'm going to find some firewood, you'll be alright on your own? I was afraid to leave you when you were sleeping, maybe you will panic when you wake up." He said, adversely changing the subject.

"Hai... I mean, yes." She assured him with a nod. 

________________________

Li Yong rubbed his temples, massaging his whirling mind, those seemingly foreign, yet familiar words coming back to him now. He had frozen the moment she muttered those few words. 'Onii-san'. He pondered over it for a while. It has been a long time since he heard anyone call him that. Not even his own imouto-chan. His imouto-chan, surely is now up there, watching him too, with Ying-ying's Onii-san.

He shook his head. Look for wood, he told himself. 

_Hiiragizawa Eriol is dead. Now you're just a lowly fisherman. You wanted a normal life. So this is it. Life your life, as Li Yong._ His mind chided him softly. 

He gathered the rough woody branches and small twigs in his arms, whistling into the night air. This is going to be such a long night. 

"AAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" The shrill cry startled him, and he rushed back to the clearing, planks of wood dropping of along the way. (A/n: what now? hehehe~ sorry if this is too cliched or boring XDDD)

________________________

"What? What happened?" His flustered voice rang out, as he forcefully dropped the few measly remaining wooden twigs and branches onto the ground and rushed to her side.

"Ah! Yong-ge! Gomen nasai! I thought there was something in the bushes, but it turned out to be this wild rabbit!" She grinned sheepishly and cuddled the brown creature close to her, barely aware of her slip of words.

_There she goes again... why does she only slip into that language when she's around me?_ He rubbed the sticks together, and soon a small, warm fire blazed between them, as they sat across each other, warming their hands by the fire.

Of all things, a strong gust of wind blew... and extinguished their only source of warmth. The light that had illuminated the clearing had disappeared, leaving only the dim moonlight in the skies above to illuminate their surroundings. 

Sakura shivered and rubbed her shoulders. _Cold...._

"I'm sorry... I dropped most of the branches on my way here." Even his voice touched an icy edge in this eerie night. Sakura flinched, though not too visibly for her companion to notice.

"I should say sorry, Yong-ge. I startled you, that's why. And if I weren't here, I bet you could have travelled into the next village and get a nice, warm, hospitable place to spend the night. It's all because of me. I'm sorry." She stifled a sob.

Li Yong looked away, eyes cast in a sad look. Even though the shadows of the night hide their faces from one another, he felt uncomfortable looking her way. 

"It's okay." What startled him more was the fact that she could mirror his own thoughts earlier on. "Are you Japanese, Ying-ying?" He asked, his monotone voice serious. A gasp. He chuckled silently. He could imagine her cupping her cold hands near her mouth, eyes wide in shock. 

Which was exactly what Sakura was doing the moment she heard it, though with only one hand, the other holding the brown rabbit close to herself. 

"H-how...d-did... you.. know?" Her voice faltered. 

"If you know how to speak and understand Chinese, what makes you think I couldn't understand Japanese?" His smooth voice almost purred at her.

"B-but.."

He held up his right hand, unsure of whether she could sense, or notice it. But her abrupt stop in speech assured him she did. 

"If you're wondering how I knew, you slipped a few Japanese phrases into your speech. It's okay, don't tell me what you don't want to. I don't want you to regret it later." He replied, this time sincere. 

________________________

Sakura practically gaped, mouth wide open, at the person in front of her, or at least where his shadowy form seemed to be, as the darkness blurred her vision.

He didn't want to press her for answers, she could tell, but there was a hint of curiosity in his voice, and she felt obliged, compelled perhaps, to tell him the truth, since he desired it so much, and he knew her real identity now. "I-I'll tell you." She whispered, the only sound she was aware of was her shallow breathing, and the distant echoes of an owl's hoots. _This is going to hurt... so much...._

"... My father... was a scholar. He had written a few well-known compilations of philosophical books, poetic verses and the such. We, my onii-san and I, had our own fair share of education in poetry, literature, and the such. Even though onii-san seem to abhorr it so much, I loved books. Otou-san never forced us to study. He would give us books, read to us, he was a loving father. Onii-san abhorred books, because it was what he deemed killed my okaa-san. Okaa-san was a very pretty lady, she came from a well-known rich residence, and she left all those luxuries for otou-san. But shortly after my third birthday, 'kaa-san contracted a disease, and we couldn't afford to treat her, because no well-known physician ever treats people for free, and her illness was too serious, and neighbourhood physicians just couldn't help her. Eventually she passed away shortly after. Those events were like distant, blurry memories to me, as I was still to little to comprehend, all I knew was that 'kaa-san had gone to a beautiful place in the sky and watching over us all." 

Sakura drew in a sharp breath. The beginnings of her own story were so much like those straight out of the Literature books that she used to read, full of irony, twists and turns, and sometimes happy endings. But she knew hers had none, as of yet. She braced herself to continue..."But then onii-san always hated books, he always quarelled with 'tou-san and blamed him for bringing death upon 'kaa-san. But 'tou-san never did scold him. He always looked away sadly, all the time." Tears of sorrow began to slowly trickle down her cheeks, but she cuddled the rabbit tightly and wiped off her tears bravely with her arms. 

"Then one day, during Tanabata, 'nii-san and I went to the temple to pray, but 'tou-san stayed at home. On our way home, we saw a group of soldiers dragging away 'tou-san. He was battered and bleeding, his face wincing in pain. I could never forget that scene...."

_"Otou-san!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Shortly after her scream, Kinomoto Touya came scampering in her direction. A few metres away from their home. Their home, their beloved dwelling place. On its wooden doors were sticked two government seals. Their father being dragged away. Kinomoto Touya's mind raced back in time, to a few weeks before, that night when their otou-san called him to his study._

------------------------  
"Touya-san, I know what it is that made you hate me. But you must comprehend, I loved you okaa-san too. Do you think I could also let her go? I couldn't. But I had to be brave, for you, and for Sakura-san." The scholar dropped his weary head down into his hands.

Kinomoto Touya stood frozen in place. "Of course I knew, 'tou-san... but I couldn't accept the fact. I couldn't believe the fact that 'kaa-san would leave us all!" He banged his fists furiously onto a nearby table, breaking it into two.

Kinomoto Fujitaka looked up in surprise. "So this is what you acquired all those nights you spent roaming the streets with thugs, huh? Strength. Power. All of which I don't have. I couldn't protect Nadeshiko. And I'm afraid I couldn't protect you two much longer anymore, Touya-san. Remember my words, no matter what happens to me in the near future, protect your sister. Nadeshiko would like that. You must promise me." He drew in a long sigh. This had to be the longest time ever he spoke to his son without being interrupted with "Shut UP!"s and "I don't care!"s and "Leave me ALONE!"s. 

"Why? Are you leaving us too!!!????? You can't do that, otou-san. We need you!!!" Touya shouted out, much surprised at his own words. Deep down inside, he too know, he still respected and loved his father.

"It's not my choice... just know that I've done something for the commoners. The common people." He smiled, and replied softly. 

Touya turned to leave the room, eyes stinging. As he strode out of the room, he heard his father's faint words echoing through the hallway, "Nadeshiko never wanted to leave you, Touya. Neither do I."   
------------------------

This must be what he meant, he realised. "Come, Sakura-chan. We have to leave immediately." He gently pulled her away, but she struggled against his grasp. "Otou-san!!! NOOOOOO! We can't!!! We can't leave him there alone, with those cruel people, can we, nii-san!???? CAN WE???? NOOOOO!" She cried her protests, emerald eyes blazing with determination. 

"No, but it's 'tou-san's wish, Sakura-chan. He wanted us to live, he wanted me to protect YOU. Because you're the most precious to us all!" He tried to reason with her. By that time, the troops had noticed the commotion. 

"Catch them!!!!!!!" That command sent the two scampering away, towards the outskirts of the town. Nearing the maize vegetation, Touya pushed her forward. "Run!" His breathless voice croaked. He bravely turned to the approaching figures, the troops. _ Me? With thugs? Otou-san, if you were here, you would agree, these troops look much more like thugs than I and my comrades look_ He grinned maniacally and slipped out his pocket knife, ready to attack. 

Sakura kept running, when she heard the sickening battle cries and slashing, bloody noises that cloaked her surroundings, she knew the inevitable had taken place. Her 'nii-san had had to fight. She dared not look, but continued running deeper and deeper into the vegetation.

".. and then I was cornered on the cliff, but I didn't know what to do. I jumped. And miraculously, I was saved by Pan-ma." She was stifling sobs by now. Flashes of her past, the life she had had, came to her mind, one after another.

Sakura and Touya bickering over who gets the last piece of Sushi, Fujitaka teaching Sakura to pronounce English, Touya winning a bunny doll for Sakura at the Tanabata Festival. She absent-mindedly let the small wriggling creature in her arms go, then rocked herself sadly, arms around her quivering little form, tears pouring down her sobbing face. 

________________________

Li Yong felt his own heart wrenching at her story, his soul as if being shredded into tiny little pieces. At least her father had died a noble death, not like his own family, who died because of just some freak accident caused by nature's wrath. He had kept quiet all the while, reliving the scenes with her.

He could see the agony, the pain, the sorrow. All that he could see. But he was at a loss, what he had to do. And he did not think anymore.

He followed his instincts. 

He shuffled noiselessly to the girl, who whimpered at his touch. He placed his arms around her and rocked her gently to sleep. He gently streaked her honey-brown hair as she was lulled to sleep by his gentle rocking. She looked so serene, so peaceful, while at sleep. He realised how cruel Fate had been to her, how it had torn her happy lifehood completely apart, how she was so harshly slapped in the face by the cold, unforgiving pain of losing her loved ones. 

"I'll protect you, Sakura-chan. I'll be your onii-san for now, ne?" He felt strange muttering his native language again. But it felt right to him, and he smiled as she snuggled close to him, lips forming a tiny smile. 

________________________

Sakura tried to stretch herself as she awoke to a pressure around her shoulders. She looked back to find the weary face of Li Yong draped behind her, his arms holding her close. "Onii-san...."

He jerked his eyes open at the sound. The emerald eyes were searching his soul, searching for the truth, searching for his words. But he looked away.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, I can't tell you yet. I'm not ready. But I'm glad you told me about yourself." He said carefully.

"But... How did you know my name? I didn't tell you the names, did I?" She asked, an acute expression of bewilderment spread across her flushed face.

"I just do." He replied, winking his eyes mysteriously at her. 

Somewhat taken aback, Sakura looked at him in surprise. He turned away again. _Why does he always avoid eye contact with me?_ But somehow, she felt comforted by the fact that someone cared, and that there will be someone to be there for her now. She graciously offered the hand that awaited her to stand up.

"Come on, we still have a long way to go." He merely stated.

"Un!" She happily skipped after him, the saddened memories of her past hidden deep down within her heart again.

_Will you blame me, Otou-san? I will always love you, okaa-san and onii-san. But now I want to walk my own life, to start a new life again._ She looked up into the fluffy, cloudy sky, and as the glowing orb in the forehead of the morning sky seem to sparkle brighter at her question, she felt assured that they would all be watching her up there. 

To be continued....

________________________

**~Ling:** Aaaaaah!!!! DONE!!!! FINALLY~! Well, if you asked me, I think I have wrote much, much more, and more interaction between the (now) two main characters!!!!! So now you know the secret of Sakura's past. What about Eriol? Wait for the answer in the next chapter!!!! I did mention Li Yong is actually Eriol, didn't I? Oh yesh, all that thing about the officers and old man is not JUST there perchance, they're going to take an important role in the story, and the killing thing is so that I can bring about Sakura's past...

Anyway, I hope this doesn't sound too rushed, but I feel obliged to put up a new chapter soon, because I really don't want to kill my first fic! Hopefully my writing is improving, though when I look at the two previous chapters, the first seem to be the best of all (still!). Sigh. Oh and, please don't think I so ran out of ideas that I have to give TWO people similar pasts. The fact that they both lost their families make Eriol & Sakura able to 'connect' with each other more, that's why. And why does the officers/troops/soldiers in both countries seem to be killing people? Remember, this is a FIC. NOT TRUE!!!!!!!! There will be reasons for those... BUT PLEASE, DON'T DON'T DON'T take things for the truth. But review, please. And tell me what I can change to make my writings better. 

R. E. V. I. E. W. 

Really, reviewing is not just there to show you've read my fic or anything, you can really tell me what you want me to change/include/consider... and they really do help give me more motivation in writing. When you don't have the inspiration, and suddenly you look up your story, and see a new review, then you will feel, oh someone still wants to read, and it's worth spending time getting MORE inspiration. See how far a review can take you? So please, do a good deed today and review~ ^_^ THANKS!!!!! 


End file.
